Seth Reams is among the many Oregonians who has been out of work for months. He was on our show last April, talking about how he’s coping with unemployment. More than a year later, he has a job working for himself. He and his girlfriend started their own company, making suet (a kind of bird feed). As it turns out, Seth isn’t alone. Many people faced with longterm unemployment have decided to start their own small businesses. And of course, even before the recession, people left their jobs to follow their passion strike out on their own as entrepreneurs.

Have you started your own business? What did it take? Why did you do it? How has your experience changed the way you look at work?

This is part of OPB’s Getting Back to Work series. You can find news pieces from the series as well as more coverage of the economy here.